Confrontation
by hardly loquacious
Summary: She'd been hoping for a knock on her door. She hadn't expected something far closer to banging. Lisbon tried to keep her grin contained as she let the door swing open. "Jane." Jane, on the other hand, didn't seem to have any trouble keeping a smile off of his face. "Lisbon. You're home." Consummate-verse, sequel to Connection, set during 6.12


A/N: Hello everyone! Here is the third (and possibly?) final installment in the Consummate-verse. Final for the time being, though who knows what will happen (I'm not ruling out more in the future). The series currently consists of _Consummate_ and _Connection_. It takes place mid-6.12. Thank you to the lovely Cathy, for giving this a readthrough for me, and acting as the vioce of sanity. Again. I hope you enjoy it.

Confrontation

xxx

She'd been hoping for a knock on her door. She hadn't expected something far closer to banging.

Lisbon tried to keep her grin contained as she let the door swing open. "Jane."

Jane, on the other hand, didn't seem to have any trouble keeping a smile off of his face. "Lisbon. You're home." He didn't know what he'd have done if she hadn't been. If she'd still been out. There was a time frame that could be reasoned away as getting a late dinner, and then there was a time frame that could only be explained by 'we lingered over coffee as long as we could, and then maybe went out for after-dinner drinks, just to _talk.'_ Jane had waited until well into the second interval to drop by.

"Of course I'm home," Lisbon said, confused. "What were you expecting?"

Jane didn't answer that, too distracted by a second (even more) horrible image surfacing in his mind. "Are you alone?"

Lisbon froze, shock fighting anger over which would to rise to the forefront. "What the hell do you think?" she snapped.

"Tsk, tsk. Language Lisbon," Jane said, letting his voice go smooth, trying to conceal the anger he was barely keeping in check. Part of him had known coming over tonight was a bad idea, but the rest of him just hadn't cared. "I thought it was worth verifying given that earlier a certain someone announced, and very cheerfully too, that they had a date tonight. I make no assumptions. Even if Ardiles does wear tasselled loafers."

Lisbon crossed her arms. "You said that already."

Jane gave an elegant shrug, the air of exaggerated nonchalance he was going for was wrecked by the expression in his eyes. "It bears repeating."

Lisbon glared daggers at him, wondering why he'd even bothered to come over if he was going to be like this. "You smug bastard."

Jane felt something in him crack. "I can assure you, this is the least smug I've felt in some time," he said quietly.

Panic flared somewhere deep in Lisbon's chest. She ignored it as best she could, told herself this was all Jane's own fault. And he had absolutely no right to show up at her apartment and snap at her. "Then you're just a jerk."

Jane had himself under control again, and decided to seek refuge in condescension. "As you like."

"Not as I like." Lisbon wanted to shake him. But then she just felt weary and… wrong. "Did you actually want something, or did you just come over here to insult me?"

"Leaving aside the fact that you're the one who's been issuing insults," Jane paused, his eyes sweeping over her as he considered her words. "Yes, there very much is something I want. Are you going to invite me in?"

"Actually, I was thinking about slamming the door in your face, but now that you've asked nicely…" Lisbon opened the door wider, stepping aside to let him into her apartment. She shut the door behind him with a shake of her head, remembering wryly how pleased she'd originally been when she'd first heard his knock.

"So how's Osvaldo?" Jane asked conversationally. "I can only assume you two are on a first name basis."

"He occasionally calls me Teresa, if that's what you're asking," she all but taunted, Jane's attitude provoking her and making her more defensive than she wanted to admit to.

Jane flinched.

Lisbon walked past him into her living room and tried to be rational. Tried to figure out a way of navigating them both out of this maze of sarcasm and stings that they'd somehow found themselves in. "Mostly he calls me Lisbon like everybody else. I think I called him Ardiles when he walked in. It's funny how easy it is not to have to address someone at all when you're the only two speaking."

Jane watched her closely (wishing she'd come closer). "Ah."

"Would you like a drink?" she asked, deciding to try and be hospitable (she did want him here after all, at least she thought she did). "Cup of tea? Wine?"

Jane decided he resented the hell out of her for looking so normal. "I'm fine."

Lisbon clenched her jaw at his tone. "Suit yourself," she said, leaning over to pick up the glass of red wine she'd been drinking while she'd waited, secretly thrilled that Jane showing up at her apartment was an actual possibility now. She was far less thrilled now. She glanced at the man across the room; he was obviously waiting her out.

Lisbon decided to offer a brief explanation at the very least (even if she wasn't sure Jane deserved one). "Ardiles is worried he's being bugged."

Jane frowned in confusion. "What?"

"Ardiles claims his phone keeps heating up in his pocket for no reason," Lisbon said. "He's worried about bugging. And he's not sure if he's being sensible or paranoid. Even he agrees paranoid is possible. He was looking for advice from an investigator he can trust." She wasn't sure she believed something sinister was going on, but she'd learned a while ago that these things were worth getting checked out, if only to calm the worries in your own mind. She'd been happy to help out an old colleague (and sometimes friend).

Jane's heart started beating a little more quickly. It really had been a business meeting. Logically part of him had known that. On some level. Not that he'd had reason for mistrust, but he also hadn't had a reason for certainty either. And he was well aware he wasn't listening to reason right now. Besides, _business meetings_ could mask all manner of sins.

"Or maybe Ardiles was looking for an excuse to impress a beautiful woman with the company jet," Jane suggested instead. He'd have certainly tried it to get her attention (if he'd had a jet, that is; maybe he could rent one...).

Lisbon almost laughed, but she wasn't really in the mood. She contented herself with rolling her eyes. "_Please._"

"You said it yourself," Jane reminded her smoothly. "Ardiles is a good looking man."

"You were making him sound like some sort of mutant to Fischer," Lisbon shot back. And that had stung a bit. Sure, Lisbon had been bragging a little about having dinner plans with an attractive man to deliberately needle Jane, but he hadn't needed to imply that Ardiles was some sort of ridiculous individual no one would actually want to spend time with. Like that was the only kind of man who would be interested in asking her to dinner. Or maybe she'd just wanted to keep the upper hand. Just this once. She scowled, deciding to continue to blame the mess entirely on Jane. Most of it was his fault anyway.

He seemed to disagree. "Yeah. I have no reason to mock your dates," Jane said sarcastically.

She knew he did. But she was still annoyed with him for this. "Oh, for…"

Jane strode forward, facing her head on. "What? Come on _Teresa_, tell me I'm being unreasonable."

"You are being unreasonable. It wasn't like that," she growled, wondering when things had gotten so out of control. She'd wanted him to be annoyed, maybe poke a hole in his ego, but she hadn't wanted this. She'd never wanted this. Why was he… She decided to remind Jane of a very important truth. "Ardiles had no romantic intentions whatsoever."

Jane was staring at her skeptically (trying very hard to look superior). "You seem very certain about that, _dear._"

The almost mocking endearment cut through her, hurting her more than she'd expected, and making her angry."_You_ weren't the one who heard the shock in his voice when I double-checked that the dinner was professional." Most of her had been relieved, but a small part of her wished that Ardiles hadn't been quite so stupefied by the mere suggestion.

"Shock?" Anger flared through Jane, this time on her behalf. That undeserving scum, he thought. Who was _Osvaldo Ardiles_ to imply that dinner with Lisbon could _only _ever be professional? Ardiles should have been grateful she'd spared him even a few hours of her time. Not that Jane wanted Lisbon to have dinner with Ardiles, but that didn't mean that Ardiles could imply… Jane cut off that line of thought before the cognitive dissonance in his brain gave him a headache.

"Yeah," Lisbon agreed. In the end the shock in Ardiles' tone had been a bit of a relief; it had matched the awkwardness in her own.

Jane forced his mind back on track. "That's not what you told Fischer."

"Yes it is!" Lisbon shot back. It wasn't all she'd said, and maybe she'd opened the door for Jane to fill in a few of his own blanks (and he'd apparently filled in more than a few), but…

"Teresa," Jane said dryly.

"I said it wasn't a date date," Lisbon said, reminding him of her exact words. "I said it was a business meeting."

"Well, that's just semantics," Jane told her.

"Which is not something you would ever resort to," Lisbon just snapped back.

Jane ignored that, his fears rising to the surface again. "What were you playing at?"

"Wait a damn minute! You don't get to do that! You, _of all people_, do not get to use _play_ like it's a dirty word. Not with all your games!" Lisbon yelled, furious at his apparent double standard. So what if she'd been playing? So what if she'd wanted to play with him? _God,_ she wanted to play with him. (The part of her brain that couldn't help noticing how _hot_ Jane looked when he was a little out of control and dangerous pointing out that she wasn't his boss anymore, so she could.)

"So you're saying you weren't playing with me?" Jane demanded.

That had been _the point_, Lisbon thought desperately. "What if I was?" she asked. "What if I said I was?"

Jane's mind flashed through images of just what _playing with Lisbon _could entail. Unfortunately the last image was of her absurdly pleased with herself in Fischer's SUV announcing her plans for the evening. "You also said that you could have a date!" Jane snapped back. That assertion had literally frozen his brain for a minute.

"I _could_ have a date!" Lisbon yelled. She was so sick of everyone on the planet continuously implying otherwise. She'd had two years to examine her life after the CBI was disbanded, two years to realize just how much she'd become her job. Dedication was one thing, but she wasn't going back down that road. She was taking back control of her own existence. She was going to do what _she_ wanted. And if Jane thought he could bully or cow or manipulate her…"

"Do you want one?" Jane asked, his voice low. If he'd known she'd wanted to be wined and dined and fussed over that much he'd have… But she'd always seemed to shun that sort of… He swallowed, remembering that she'd also said that men tended to be scared of her. He'd been trying to ease into things gradually, but…

"Why not?" Lisbon snapped, giving into her anger. "What's wrong with wanting to go for a nice dinner in the evening? Maybe I'm lonely sometimes."

"And what about me?" Jane asked, his voice carefully even.

Lisbon didn't say anything, just raised her chin slightly. Anger and frustration and a sudden sense that everything was just _wrong_ twisting up inside of her. She didn't know what to say. Something in her screamed that she couldn't just concede, something else yelled that it was all turned around and horrible, and a third voice yelling most loudly of all insisted that if Jane had just been even a little bit _reasonable_, and _asked_ her about things first… She met his gaze head on. He could give a little this time.

Jane blinked, his own anger curling quietly to life. "I see."

"Well, what did you expect?" Lisbon asked. If he wanted her to go out to dinner with him, he could ask her. He didn't get to assume that all of her time would be at his disposal.

Jane faltered. "I guess I thought…"

"You'd say jump, and I'd say how high?" Lisbon asked sarcastically.

Then she froze. Because that was the heart of it. Jane hadn't even been back a month and it already felt like he was making all sorts of assumptions. Sure, a lot of them had worked out, and a lot of them were probably even justifiable, but damn it, if this was ever going to work he'd have to get used to _asking her first_. He'd have to _ask_. Because some days it felt like she was only at the FBI based on some whim of Jane's. Brought in because of an offer she almost couldn't refuse. And maybe that was unfair, but it was also true. So she needed him to _ask._ Even if what he'd assumed was something they both wanted. Even if… The force of the realization made Lisbon want to sit down.

But she couldn't sit down, because Jane was striding across the room to confront her. "I told you, _I_ don't think I'm in charge of you," he hissed, grabbing her shoulders. "_I _think we're partners."

Lisbon straightened her spine. "And what exactly does that entail in your mind? Because, _I _don't recall discussing it."

And in that second Jane thought he caught a glimpse of the problem. And he wondered if they were even really having the same conversation anymore. He reached a hand out to her without realizing it. "Lisbon…"

She shifted back instinctively. Just a little. "You like control, Jane. Everybody knows it. You like to play puppet-master, pulling on invisible strings. Keeping everybody in the dark until the big reveal. Maybe I'm sick of deferring to you."

He stared at her stunned. "_Deferring to me?"_ he repeated, trying to remember the last time Teresa Lisbon had _deferred_ to him. Sometimes she trusted him, sometimes she helped him, sometimes she agreed with him (often with bad grace) and sometimes he even convinced her, but…

He glared at her, frustrated by her silence. And decided it was time to go back on the offensive. "I'm not the only one who likes to be in charge, _dear._"

"Difference is, I didn't make assumptions," Lisbon replied maddeningly calmly.

"No, you just made a date." Jane snapped. And that was the main point as far as he was concerned. She'd said the word date and he'd gone quietly crazy.

"Not a date!" Lisbon yelled back for what felt like the thousandth time.

"And you could have," Jane replied, tossing her earlier words back at her.

"Damn right, I could have!" Lisbon repeated. She wasn't some sort of law enforcement drone to be ordered about at will, no personality, no individuality. She was a god damn woman. "In fact, _I did!"_

"No," Jane said, suddenly quiet again. Because she didn't _see._ And she was usually the only one who did (she was _his_ investigator he could trust, and she was so much more. Ardiles could find someone else). "You could have made assumptions."

That temporarily froze Lisbon's anger. "What?"

"You could have made assumptions," Jane told her. "I think I made my position perfectly clear two weeks ago."

Lisbon gaped at him, remembering the day well. "So clear you were making dates right in front of me _the day before._"

Jane paused.

"That's right!" Lisbon snapped. "You were making friends with your beautiful little blonde."

Jane swallowed the bad taste suddenly rising in his mouth. _"For a case." _

"In the end yes," Lisbon agreed. "But you didn't tell any of us that, did you? Which you could have if it was strictly professional. What would it have hurt to tell me or Cho or Fischer your plan? No, instead you practically skipped around the office gloating about the phone number in your pocket, asking me for fashion advice for your dinner date, and making plans at crime scenes!"

Jane couldn't take his eyes off her, realizing that her anger was masking pain. He'd hurt her. _Again._ "I…"

But Lisbon wasn't done. "And I had to deal with Fisher and her awkward questions about whether I thought Krystal, the picture-perfect blonde, was your type and then about exactly what your type was." That had been more than a little embarrassing.

He hadn't realized. Hadn't realized it had gone that far, or that she'd been anything more than exasperated by his antics. Maybe she hadn't either, not consciously at least. Still, he was curious. "What did you…?"

"That I had no idea! How in the hell would I know?" Lisbon snapped, throwing her hands up in frustration.

Jane stared at her, the furious woman now pacing around her living room. What did she mean? How would she _not know?_ Jane would have thought his type was fairly obvious, at least to _her_. Brunette, petite, strong, didn't put up with any of his crap… "Lisbon, I…"

"What?" she growled. "When you do it it's a charming little game, but when I do it, it's a capital offence?" She knew he liked teasing her. Maybe she'd just wanted to reciprocate.

This time Jane was stunned silent.

Lisbon nodded, sensing a hint of understanding. "So you don't get to come in here looking all hangdog and broken and talk to me about assumptions. Don't you even try it. You were angling for a reaction; you were toying with all of us, and amusing yourself. No thought to how it might make any of us feel, because you were having fun."

Jane could definitely feel the panic rising now. Panic mixed with something that felt suspiciously like guilt. "But that was…"

"That was what?" Lisbon asked. "That was _before_ we slept together?Ha! Not even twenty-four hours before. And anyway, we both know you've been in love with me for years. _You said that_. But you did it anyway. Because you wanted to pull the strings and see the results. Maybe I'm sick of having my strings pulled," she added angrily. He manipulated people, she knew that. And if she was going to accept that, then he was going to have to deal with her manipulating him right back. Just a little.

Jane's blood ran cold. He wasn't trying to control her (he really wasn't), but he was going to try and stack the deck in his favour sometimes. She was too important to leave to chance. He'd needed to, to be sure. He'd made a compelling argument, did his best to arrange things so she couldn't (wouldn't) say no. He wasn't sure what he'd do if she said no. "Lisbon…"

"Were you rubbing my face in it?" she asked, suddenly quiet.

"_No."_ His answer was immediate and emphatic.

Lisbon looked uncertain.

Jane took a step forward, determined to convince her. "_No,"_ he said again. He'd just been caught up in being back in the U.S. and working with law enforcement again. Seeing her. And okay, maybe he had been hoping for a reaction. Maybe he had wanted to see if it would bother her, but he hadn't expected her to take it seriously. Not really. He'd assumed she'd just know it was for the case, and while maybe part of her had… He liked to tease her and... _Oh no._

She'd been _teasing_ him. She'd been teasing him right back. Taking a page out of his own book. She'd said it herself; he liked games. And instead of getting mad, she'd decided to play. Jane's heart started racing. He took another step towards her.

Then he paused.

Unless she'd decided to give him a taste of his own medicine.

Because maybe a part of him he wasn't particularly proud of had been hoping for a spark of jealousy (or two) from Lisbon when he'd asked another woman out to dinner, but… He'd never expected her to do the same thing. "So Ardiles was what, payback?"

Lisbon took a step backwards. "No," she said quietly. She was relieved to realize that it was the truth. The connection to Krystal Markham hadn't even entered her mind until Jane had stormed into her apartment acting all high and mighty and talking about assumptions.

Ardiles had been separate. It had been about stirring Jane up and making him uncomfortable, just to see if she could. Because she'd wanted… She swallowed. It didn't matter what she'd wanted, because it turned out she'd miscalculated. Badly. She caught the edges of wildness in Jane's eyes and finally recognized them for the desperation they were. She took a deep breath and fought for calm, realizing she was going to have to be the one to take the first step. "I told you it wasn't romantic, Jane," she reminded him. "I did say that. And yes, I knew you wouldn't be thrilled, but I didn't think you'd…" She gestured about her living room helplessly. "And yeah, I wanted to tease you. It's not a crime. Maybe some terrible part of me wanted you to be annoyed. You can be very smug sometimes. It makes needling you irresistible. But I also told you it wasn't that kind of a date!"

"Did you want it to be?" Jane demanded. He needed an answer to that question. Now.

This time Lisbon was the one who was stunned. "_What!?_ _No!"_

"It was a reasonable question, Lisbon. I saw more than one self-satisfied smile today," Jane reminded her.

She wanted to shake him. Damn straight she'd been self-satisfied. She'd finally gotten him at his own game. She'd surprised him. Idiot deserved to have his ego poked from time to time. "And did it ever occur to you that was just because I could shoot down your irritating assumption that I'd have nothing better to do, like there was no way anyone would ask me on a date."

"That is not what I was implying!" Jane interrupted. "I was implying that there was no way you wanted to go out with Ardiles!"

"Whatever. It's still ridiculous, Lisbon told him. "Besides Jane, whether you have any intentions or not, you do flirt. All the time."

"Not for anything other than work," he insisted. He had flirted the odd time over the past few years, but not much.

Lisbon moved to object.

Jane cut her off. "Not since two weeks ago."

Lisbon didn't know what to say to that.

"What if I want to take you on a date?" Jane asked suddenly.

"You have never asked me on a date," Lisbon reminded him. He'd seduced her more thoroughly than anyone else in her entire life, but…

Jane stared at her. _"What do you call chess at the park?"_ He stepped forward again, looming over her.

Lisbon gasped, searching his eyes. And several things slotted together in her brain. In that second, she realized that it needed to stop. It just needed to stop. The stupid argument that was going around in circles and making her head hurt. Maybe he _had_ overreacted. And maybe he _was_ being hypocritical. But maybe _she'd_ played a slightly too dangerous game. And maybe there were things _they_ still needed to discuss.

But not like this. Not when it hurt too much, thick with uncertainty and insecurity.

She'd wanted him to come over.

She refused to let him leave over something so stupid.

Jane hesitated when she didn't answer right away. (She _saw _it. She saw actual hesitation.) "Lisbon?" he said softly, starting to step back.

Before he could, she was closing the frustrating distance between them, stretching up and pressing her lips against his.

She felt his body stutter in surprise. And then he was moving forward again.

Lisbon tightened a hand in his collar as the other slid to his cheek. But she could tell he was still tense.

So she really put her back into it (or rather her lips). She pressed closer, pleased when that elicited a choked little moan. She supposed she should be glad that whatever else happened, they could get this part right.

Lisbon relaxed against him, letting her body melt into his. She looped her arms around his neck and slowed her kiss. Jane protested as she slid her lips from his, until she leaned up to whisper in his ear, "I never wanted Ardiles, not even for a second."

And then she was spinning until her back hit the opposite wall. His kiss turned possessive. She smiled against him, kissing him with a half a laugh, one that was cut off by a very insistent mouth. She framed his face with her hands, trying to get a few words in edgewise. "I thought you knew. I thought you'd…" Lisbon let the words trail off, deciding that explanations could wait, that maybe it might be a good idea to expend some of the excess emotion bouncing around before they tried to talk again (and they would need to talk again). She sighed against his mouth and helped him make conversation impossible.

Jane just kissed her. Wanted to kiss her. Gripped her hips to hold her in place and pressed closer. Hummed his approval against her mouth when she nipped at his lower lip. He wasn't quite sure what had prompted the sudden change, but he'd figure it out later. After he'd reassured himself that… Lisbon moaned in obvious approval as he slid a hand upwards before sliding it around her neck to keep her lips close.

"Was teasing," Lisbon gasped out as she took a much needed breath, running a hand down his back. "Teasing _you_."

Jane felt fabulous and a bit foolish. But he finally understood. All of her sexy little smiles hadn't had anything to do with being flattered because that idiot Ardiles was flying in on his jet to see her. They'd been because he, Patrick Jane, had been utterly thrown. He'd been her target all along.

Not that idiot, Ardiles. Jane kissed her even harder. Bending his knees for a better angle against the wall. He felt her hand drift down across his chest, so he reached up and took it in his own. Held on.

Maybe he had known some of it. And maybe he should have talked to her first, asked her what he needed to know. Jane paused, realizing that went both ways. They still needed to talk. An actual conversation. Where neither of them was trying to win.

And they needed to talk tonight. Because it had been entirely too easy to jump to conclusions.

Then, in a few days, when the case was done, he was going to take her on a date. He was going to take her somewhere fancy and fuss over her. Fuss over her until she stopped scolding him for it and started to enjoy herself.

Yes.

But before he could do that, they had to talk.

With a reluctant sigh, Jane pulled them both away from the wall, soothing Lisbon's whimper of disappointment with a line of quick kisses against her throat. She tangled her hands in his hair in encouragement, and he got distracted, biting lightly along the line of her neck to the edge of her collarbone, pushing her blouse aside and nipping a little harder. Leaving a mark.

He wanted to mark her. Under her clothes, but just. So when she sauntered through the office tomorrow morning all put together and professional, he'd know it was there. Would know what was just under her collar. He kissed the now-exposed skin, drowning in her gasps.

Then, finally, he shifted his lips back the way they'd come, before burying his face against her neck and pulling her into a hug.

Lisbon slid into position immediately with a smile, shifting her arms until they were around his shoulders.

Jane felt himself finally relax. "Lisbon…" he murmured against her shoulder.

"Shhh…" She wasn't quite ready to talk. Just wanted to stand here, like this for a moment, until her heartbeat returned to normal and her thoughts felt less scattered.

Jane tried again. "I…"

"In a minute," she admonished gently

So Jane let himself fall into her, tightening his arms around her waist. "Okay."

After a few seconds, Lisbon sighed. "M'sorry."

Jane frowned in confusion. What was she sorry for? He was the one who'd stormed into her apartment and yelled at her when she hadn't really deserved it. He pulled back slightly to look her in the eye, saw the obvious contrition. "Isn't that my line?"

She shrugged. "Maybe. I'm not sorry for all of it."

He smiled slightly (partly at his own relief). "I know."

Lisbon's eyes were pleading. "But I didn't mean to…"

Determined to erase her guilt, Jane reached for her hand and squeezed. "I know that now, dear."

Lisbon leaned her forehead against his and closed her eyes for a moment, before stepping out of his embrace entirely. She reached for her almost forgotten (and now almost empty) glass of wine. "Good. You're just always so rational." He was so logical in his analysis of well, everyone. She'd just assumed he'd see the truth.

"I think I'm going to have a hard time being rational about you," Jane admitted as he followed her towards the couch.

Lisbon told herself the pleasure bursting through her chest was ridiculous. She spun back around to face him. "_Really?"_

Jane almost laughed at her expression, eyeing him over her wineglass, pleased as punch (if a little suspicious). "Absolutely."

Lisbon realized she was smiling again. She sipped her wine before tilting her head up at him, smiling up at him from below her eyelashes. "Hmm."

Jane tried to contain his own smile. "Don't be smug."

Lisbon glared at him, but she couldn't keep it up. "I'm not being smug."

"Yes, you are," Jane countered gently. He didn't mind though. He really, really didn't mind.

"No, I'm not," Lisbon insisted stubbornly. She was pleased. Pleased and smug were not the same thing.

Jane stepped closer, an eyebrow raised. "Lisbon."

She shrugged. "Well, maybe a little."

Jane knew when to take what he could get. "Okay."

Lisbon frowned into her wineglass. "I really never even thought you'd…" She took a breath and met his eyes again. "You really thought I wanted to go on a date with _Ardiles?_"

If Jane had still had any doubts on the matter, her complete and utter incredulity would have quashed them. "I was barely thinking at all. Not on a conscious level. Lizard-brain, Lisbon. I was using the lizard-brain. And Ardiles was a rival, a threat."

She stared at him. "He wears tasselled loafers."

Jane laughed, delightedly. "You really aren't going to be able to expect logic in this area, love."

The word drifted across her skin, warming it like a caress. She set down the now empty wine glass, biting her lip, fresh guilt pricking at being the cause of his hurt. She tried to explain. "You spend so much time tying me up in knots, I just wanted to…"

Jane ran another gentle hand down her arm. "You were really quite successful."

That pleased her, but only for a moment. Because it hadn't been the success she'd wanted. "I didn't mean to be."

What did you want, dear?" Jane whispered, wondering if she would say it (hoping she could).

"I wanted to have fun," Lisbon admitted. And she had. She'd been flying high, felt so damn good. She'd thought he'd come over, eyes twinkling, but still just a little off balance, and teasing. Maybe he'd have teased her into bed. Or maybe she'd have led him there. But then he'd brought her crashing down to earth when he'd stormed into her apartment with his accusations and hurt. "I wanted... I…"

Jane nodded, tried to encourage. "I might have overreacted a little. I'm sorry."

Lisbon rolled her lower lip between her teeth. "Hmmm."

Jane had trouble dragging his eyes from it. "You just looked so sexy and just plain kissable in that damn van, primly announcing your date, with those wide, innocent-but-not eyes of yours."

That caught Lisbon's attention. "My eyes are hardly innocent," she insisted, hands on her hips.

Jane was chuckling softly again. "The manipulation was obvious, but still extraordinarily effective." She'd had him hanging onto her every word. Now that he understood what she'd been after, the idea made him smile. "You wanted to tease me?" He tried the idea on for size. He shifted back into her personal space, couldn't seem to stay out of it.

"I think I deserve a little fun, Lisbon said firmly. It was one thing she was sure of, one thing that hadn't been wrong.

Jane watched her, captivated. In many ways the two years apart hadn't changed her, not in any of the important aspects, but she had… It was almost like she'd settled into herself, accepted her uncertainties. He'd always been drawn to her, but now... "Yeah."

Lisbon almost wanted to fidget in the face of his focus. Instead she raised her eyebrows. "So…"

Jane pulled his brain back on track. "So, I need to talk to you still." Then he pulled her into one of her living room chairs and spun the other slightly until it was facing hers.

Lisbon watched him in amusement (and anticipation).

Jane sat down opposite her, letting his hands drift to the outside of her knees, sliding up and down, not quite ready to give up on touching her.

Lisbon smiled as his fingers brushed the ticklish spot on her outer knee. Then she frowned when he didn't speak right away. "Jane?"

"Yeah. Just give me a…" he said softly. He squeezed her knees lightly before going back to his slow stroking. "I know we've never talked about it, and you're right.,. I shouldn't have assumed, but well… I always knew that I had no intention of dating anyone else while we figure this out."

Lisbon froze. She hadn't been expecting _that._ She swallowed, trying to soothe a suddenly dry throat as her hands clenched around the arms of the chair. "Oh."

Jane nodded, pressing on. "Even apart from two weeks ago with Krystal, you accused me of flirting. And I do. I guess I never really thought about it, because I always know it doesn't mean anything, but…"

Lisbon softened. "Jane…"

He shook his head, silencing her, knowing he needed to say this. "I have flaws, Lisbon. You know I do. You could probably list them better than I could. But cheating's never been one of them. I've had two serious relationships in my life, and you're the other one, whatever happens between us. You don't need to worry about that. And I want you to know that from now on if I think I need to flirt with a woman for, well, case-related reasons, I'll tell you first. I promise, Teresa. You'll be in on the game if it's ever one I decide to play again."

Heart thumping in her chest, Lisbon slid her hands over his, looping her thumbs under his palms. The offer, the compromise, was so unexpected that she almost couldn't speak. She hadn't realized what it would mean to hear him say it. "Jane…"

"No, let me say it. Let me _ask_," Jane said with a gentle smile, the surprise in her eyes propelling him forward. "I don't want you to be going on dates with other people either. If that's okay with you; if you'd consider it…"

Now Lisbon had to interrupt. _Had to._ She squeezed his hands. "I never had any intention of it," she assured him. The issue hadn't crossed her mind, if she was honest. Not a real date anyway. She wasn't good at maintaining one relationship. _Even __if_ she'd ever been tempted, juggling two simultaneously sounded like a nightmare.

Jane relaxed. His eyes locked on hers, he picked up her hand and slid his lips across her knuckles before kissing her palm.

Enjoying the spike in arousal, Lisbon reached up to thread a hand through his hair. "I don't like fighting with you."

Jane's eyes twinkled. "Was this a fight, then?"

She smiled back, pleased to see hints of the teasing Jane resurfacing after the drama. "I think so."

Jane pretended to consider it. "Hmmm. I don't like fighting with you either."

"I'm glad you came over though," Lisbon said, her happiness making her bolder.

She'd obviously caught Jane's attention. "You know," he said as he played with her fingers. "If you wanted me to come over, you could just ask me." He'd like that, if she asked him.

"Maybe I'll try that sometime," Lisbon mused.

"Okay," Jane agreed, telling himself that his disappointment was ridiculous. He'd always known that she was skittish, and he wasn't amazing at relationships either.

Lisbon grinned, sliding her thumb against his wrist. She loved it when he touched her hands. And he touched her hands a lot. "Jane?"

"Yeah?" he asked, distracted by the thumb tracing his pulse.

"You wanna come over tomorrow night?" she asked.

Tease. She wanted to tease. Jane wanted to smile, but he didn't. "I'll have to check my schedule."

Lisbon stopped running her fingers against his wrist, using the hand to hit him upside the head instead.

"Oww…" Jane moaned.

"Oh suck it up, you big baby," Lisbon ordered.

"I was just teasing you." Jane wondered what she'd had in mind for the evening if he hadn't shown up trying to pick a fight. If she'd wanted to play, the possibilities were… He found himself having trouble arranging the thoughts in his head. And her pleased little grin wasn't helping.

Then Lisbon hesitated, "Jane?"

He raised his eyebrows, ordering himself not to kiss her. She obviously had something to say.

"I won't tease you about any more business meetings," Lisbon said softly. It was an easy promise. The temporary fun wasn't worth the consequences.

"Okay," Jane breathed. He hadn't wanted to ask. After all, she'd told him it hadn't meant anything. He knew it hadn't meant anything, but he still hated that she'd called it a date. Maybe in a few months after they'd figured a few things out they'd be able to tease about that sort of thing, but...

"I'll tease you about other things instead," Lisbon continued blithely.

Jane's grin lit up the room. "You want to play, dear?"

Because he said it right this time, the endearment relaxed her.

Lisbon shifted closer in her chair, her hands sliding up his thighs. She felt warm and wild and wanted. "I really, really do."

"Good," Jane murmured, reaching up and tucking her hair behind her ear before letting his fingers get lost in the ends.

"I want to be happy," Lisbon added. She'd spent so long being responsible.

Jane smiled, sliding his hand deeper into her hair. "I like it when you're happy."

"Me too," she admitted, though it sometimes felt like a rare feeling.

Jane tugged lightly on a lock of hair. "Do you mind if we change the game a little?"

"Hm. You want to play with me now?" she asked tentatively. Her evening had been more… emotional than she'd been expecting, and she wasn't making any assumptions.

"Always," Jane assured her quietly. Now and for the next forty years or so.

Lisbon smiled, then paused, realizing something still felt unsaid. "I know I freaked you out."

Jane frowned, leaning back in his chair. "I wouldn't say…"

"You were practically nuts," she murmured, sliding her hands from his thighs up his chest.

Jane was sure he should argue, though with her hair falling against his shoulders, he wasn't sure why. "I was…"

Lisbon kissed him quickly and firmly. "Would you shut up and let me say I'm sorry? I let you do it!"

Jane slid his hands to her waist. To steady her. Yes, that was it. She was practically kneeling on his chair as she leaned over him. "You don't need to…"

Lisbon moved her hands to his shoulders, braced herself. "When I brought up Ardiles, I… Look, we both know I'm no good at this."

Jane shook his head at the vision above him. She wasn't _no good_ at this. She was… "Lisbon…"

She knew she was babbling, but she couldn't seem to stop. "It's just, I haven't been in a relationship where it's been an issue for fifteen years."

And suddenly Jane knew he needed to hold her again. And he saw no reason not to. He tugged on her hips until she tumbled down into his lap.

Lisbon went willingly. "I don't know how to do this. You know how long it's been since I've been in a relationship. I really thought we were just teasing each other today. I thought…"

Jane tangled his hands in her hair and kissed her, cutting off the unnecessary explanation. He wasn't in the least bit irritated with her anymore. Quite the opposite. He stroked his fingers along the base of her skull as she shifted in his lap. Then reassessing the situation, he slid his hands down her back to her hips and eased her up again. Her living room chairs were perfectly comfortable for sitting in, but they were a bit restrictive for other activities.

So he stood up, pulling her with him. "Tell me what you wanted," he whispered against her mouth.

Lisbon's head was spinning. "I…" With a frustrated cry, she pulled his lips back to hers. She wasn't sure what she'd wanted. Maybe she'd wanted him to tease her about Ardiles. Maybe just for him to walk in, shove her up against the wall and kiss her. That sounded good, actually. So she pulled him from between the chairs and then began pushing a bemused looking Jane towards the wall.

It was ridiculous that she couldn't say it. Ridiculous that she couldn't tell him what she wanted. She'd been in love with him for years, known him for far longer, and… And she kissed him. Tried to drown her insecurities and her fears in feeling. She'd shove _him_ up against a wall this time.

So she did. With a little bit of force. And one hell of a kiss.

It was what she wanted. He was…

And then everything stilled in her mind.

Because what if he didn't know? She wasn't as good at being able to say it as he was. And he'd gone nuts today. Completely unnecessarily, but because he'd… Jane hadn't _known._

With a startled gasp, Lisbon pulled back to stare at a dazed-looking Jane.

"You know you don't have to worry about me finding someone else," she whispered. "Or about me wanting someone else." It needed to be said. Because Patrick Jane had actually been _insecure_ about her. And insecure was not a word she usually put in the same sentence as Jane. But he'd been so uncertain, he'd gone irrational.

Jane felt like he'd won some sort of lottery, after over a decade of losing.

"You don't either," he murmured, nuzzling her neck. "You really, really don't."

The feelings running through Lisbon were what let her continue. "You know I want you?" she whispered.

Jane's eyes went hot. "Say it again, love."

The heat in the words nearly knocked her over. "Want you." Her hands trembled in his hair. "Oh god, we're doing this. We're really, really doing this."

His smile confirmed it. "Yes, we are, dear."

And then he was kissing her again. Kissing her and murmuring pet names against her skin. She was being darlinged and loved and dearested, and the words were making her feel better than she'd ever expected them to. And it killed her that she couldn't quite find any words to say back. She'd always felt ridiculous with pet names. Always felt so silly. Hadn't ever really liked them. But Jane used them all the time. And it made her feel so…

She could tell him she was in this every day, that she wasn't leaving, that she wanted him. But she couldn't find the words to…

Still, she had him. She had him.

She kissed him, her hands travelling all over him. Needing to feel him.

And then, suddenly the right word surfaced. Burst in her chest and travelled up, determined to get out. "_Mine." _

Lisbon wasn't sure which one of them was more stunned.

But she recovered first. "_Mine,_" she whispered again before kissing him. Over and over and over.

"_Mine, mine, mine, mine, mine._"

Jane barely let her gasp the word out between kisses. He wanted to devour her. He wanted to make her scream. He wanted to make her feel so good that she forgot about everything but him.

Lisbon let the heat burn her from the inside out. She fed the fire with her hands, her tongue, her teeth.

God, Jane was amazing when he lost control. Even if she knew it wasn't how he preferred to…

A thought struck her, one that even Jane's tongue against hers couldn't quite distract her from.

She pulled away slowly and slid her hands from his hair. Ignoring his growl of frustration and his attempts to pull her back, she waited until he focused his eyes on hers.

Jane was confused. She'd pulled away again and he didn't know why.

It wasn't like Lisbon hadn't been enjoying what he was doing. It wasn't like she wasn't aroused. He'd been with her enough that he knew the signs. And she wanted him desperately. He wanted her. At this point, he'd beg if he had to. He didn't know what was wrong.

He opened his eyes to meet hers.

And watched as she stretched up on her toes and kissed him.

_Slowly._

Jane found himself trying to speed things up, but Lisbon wasn't having it. Instead, she started kissing her way down his neck.

Jane leaned back against the wall. He wasn't sure how much of this he could take tonight. He needed her _now_. His control was the other side of shaky. And usually that was how she liked it.

But tonight, instead of hot and desperate, Lisbon had decided to slowly unbutton his shirt, before following her fingers with her lips and placing lingering kisses all over his chest.

"_Teresa,"_ he whispered as her tongue tripped against his breastbone.

She paused in her exploration of his chest with her mouth to meet his eyes. _"Let me,"_ she whispered, asking permission.

Jane would never admit it aloud, but he was fairly certain that if the wall hadn't been behind him his knees might have buckled. Just for a moment. He nodded.

Then she was kissing him again. Slowly, gently, and oh how he loved her. "You're sure?" he gasped.

She answered with a breath of laughter and a lingering kiss to the sensitive spot just behind the pulse point on his neck.

"You're going to kill me," he whispered.

"Not quite," she assured him as she guided them towards her bedroom, pausing to kiss the dent in his collarbone.

"Have mercy," he pleaded.

"Mine to do what I like with," she murmured back, her hands drifting towards his belt.

Jane knew he'd never stood a chance. "Yes, dear."

Lisbon smiled at his agreement.

She liked it.

It seemed appropriate. He'd been her consultant for so long. Now he was just _hers._

xxx

The next morning, Lisbon was putting bagels in the toaster when Jane walked up behind her, brushing her hair aside to kiss her shoulder. "Good morning."

She turned to send him a smile, noticing he was buttoning his shirt. "Morning."

Jane leaned forward to kiss her properly.

Lisbon knew her smile was probably getting ridiculous, but she didn't care. "You're already dressed," she murmured. She'd decided to start breakfast in her pyjamas.

Jane nodded. "I'll have to grab a change of clothes before heading to the office though."

"Hmm," Lisbon agreed absently as she reached up to grab the peanut butter. She held it up to him in silent question.

Jane nodded absently, stroking a hand over her hip. "I could start leaving a change of clothes here, maybe," he suggested. "It would be easier."

Lisbon bit her lip and busied herself spreading peanut butter over the toasted bagels. She gave a shrug that she was sure didn't fool him for a second. "Okay," she agreed. "If you think you can spare one. You've got like three outfits though, so it might be stretching your wardrobe a little…"

She hadn't even finished her sentence before he spun her. The knife clattered to the floor as the counter dug into her lower back.

"We don't have time," she protested. When she could.

Jane didn't bother arguing, just sucked her bottom lip between his and slid his hands under her t-shirt.

She moaned. Before trying another feeble protest. "The FBI… The op…"

"Isn't starting for hours," Jane growled. "You don't need to be an hour early _every day._"

"I don't go in early _every_ day," Lisbon sighed, un-buttoning Jane's freshly buttoned shirt.

Jane tugged her t-shirt over her head and tossed it aside. "What if today we tried for on-time?" he suggested before covering the day-old bruise on her collarbone with his lips.

Lisbon tried to push his shirt off his shoulders. "I… Oh…"

He cupped her breasts in his hands.

"Jane," she whispered, trying to brace herself against the counter, as she arched into his touch, her eyes slamming shut as her cheeks grew warm.

He didn't take his eyes off her face as he stroked her. "Don't you think you deserve the extra hour?" he asked, his voice gravelly with arousal. "Don't you think you should take advantage of me while I'm here?"

Her eyes popped open. "You're _mine_," she reminded him huskily.

Jane kissed her. "Yes," he agreed. "So take me to your bed and prove it, Teresa."

If she'd had even a shred of resistance left, that would have crushed it. She let him pull her back towards the bedroom.

She was laughing again when her back hit the mattress.

Ready to play.

xxx

The end

A/N2: I have another authors note, mainly because I would like to point out here, that this scene precedes, "You're just cheerful to irritate me," and "You look great in that hat." I think it fits well. Also, if I continue with this universe, this is where I may go off-canon, depending on what happens. In this universe, it is entirely possible that Ardiles really was just paranoid, and his phone was faulty. I think the chances are high, because I'm not dealing with any more conspiracy irritation from this show. Just FYI.


End file.
